Swarm vs Kubernetes decision in Docker - Practice Questions

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Choosing between Docker Swarm and Kubernetes for a small project

You have a small web app project with simple scaling needs and limited team experience in container orchestration. Which container orchestration tool is the best fit?

A Docker Swarm, because it is simpler to set up and manage for small teams.

B Kubernetes, because it requires less configuration and is easier for beginners.

C Kubernetes, because it is lightweight and perfect for small projects.

D Docker Swarm, because it has more advanced features than Kubernetes.

💡 Hint

Think about ease of use and team experience for small projects.

Docker Swarm is simpler and faster to set up, making it ideal for small projects and teams new to orchestration. Kubernetes is more complex and better suited for large, complex deployments.

💻 Command Output

intermediate

Output of 'kubectl get nodes' in a single-node Kubernetes cluster

What is the expected output of the command kubectl get nodes on a freshly installed single-node Kubernetes cluster?

Docker

kubectl get nodes

A Error from server (NotFound): nodes "node1" not found

B

NAME           STATUS   ROLES           AGE   VERSION
node1          Ready    control-plane   5m    v1.26.0

C

NAME           STATUS   ROLES           AGE   VERSION
node1          Ready    worker          5m    v1.26.0

D

NAME           STATUS    AGE   VERSION
node1          NotReady  5m    v1.26.0

💡 Hint

Consider the default role assigned to the single node in Kubernetes.

A single-node Kubernetes cluster usually has the node labeled as control-plane and its status as Ready.

🔀 Workflow

advanced

Deploying a multi-service app with Docker Swarm

You want to deploy a multi-service app using Docker Swarm with automatic service discovery and load balancing. Which sequence of commands correctly initializes the swarm and deploys the app using a stack file?

A 1,2,3,4

B 2,1,3,4

C 1,4,2,3

D 4,1,2,3

💡 Hint

Think about the order: initialize swarm, deploy stack, then check services and nodes.

You must first initialize the swarm, then deploy the stack, and finally check the services and nodes status.

❓ Troubleshoot

advanced

Kubernetes pod stuck in Pending state

You deployed a pod in Kubernetes, but it stays in the Pending state indefinitely. What is the most likely cause?

A The pod's YAML file has a syntax error.

B The pod's container image is missing from the registry.

C There are no nodes with enough resources to schedule the pod.

D The Kubernetes API server is down.

💡 Hint

Pending means the pod is waiting to be scheduled on a node.

If no node has enough CPU or memory resources, the pod cannot be scheduled and remains Pending.

✅ Best Practice

expert

Best practice for managing secrets in Kubernetes vs Docker Swarm

Which statement correctly describes the best practice for managing sensitive data (secrets) in Kubernetes compared to Docker Swarm?

A Kubernetes encrypts secrets at rest by default, while Docker Swarm stores secrets unencrypted on disk.

B Kubernetes does not support secrets management, Docker Swarm has built-in secret management.

C Both Kubernetes and Docker Swarm store secrets only in environment variables, which is insecure.

D Docker Swarm encrypts secrets in transit and at rest by default, Kubernetes requires manual encryption setup.

💡 Hint

Consider how each platform handles secret encryption by default.

Docker Swarm encrypts secrets both in transit and at rest by default. Kubernetes stores secrets base64-encoded and requires manual setup for encryption at rest.